Watching the Sunset
by GoddessOfHedgehogs
Summary: <html><head></head>A oneshot about Thalia looking back to her life on the run with Luke. She remembers how he taught her to watch sunsets, and the good times they had.Formerly called Sunsets</html>


**Disclaimer: I don't own the PJO series or their characters *emotional breakdown* Just*hic*read*hic*the story*sob* already! *wipes tear from eye***

**Sunsets**

Thalia gazed off into the sunset; clear in the midst of a forest they had set up camp in. She remembered watching similar sunsets with Annabeth and Luke. Her very first best friends, her family. Later, she had let Percy in.

One hundred years from then, she was still sitting watching sunsets, fighting battles and _living_, while they were gone.

Thalia felt as if the world had ended when she heard of Luke's death. She knew it had to come, to defeat Kronos, but somewhere in her heart she had kept hoping, holding on to her only love. She hadn't realized that she loved him until he was gone. They had lived through such good times. Thalia had hid inside her house, away from her mother for so many years, trying to keep Jason safe, every sunset. Those she saw, she ignored, because, what is a sunset if you don't have a friend to watch it with?

Then her mom had given away Jason and that was the last straw. Bitter and angry, she had left in the spur of the moment, barely packing. Her mind screamed for her to leave, run, hide, get away from that awful mother who had given away _her own child!_ So Thalia left and ran far, far away, grabbed a bus to the outskirts of town and stormed into a park. Anger kept her walking deeper and deeper into the forest, where she stopped. Thalia had no plan at all. She curled into a ball, hopeless, lost and broken. Thalia _never_ cried. She had to be strong for herself, to prove that she was independent and never needed a mom. Who was she kidding? She had needed someone.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps walk by her hiding spot. Her father had given her the shield Aegis for her seventh birthday. She put her hand to her bracelet and the menacing shield spiraled out. She jumped out to face a tall blonde boy, with blue eyes that had a startled look in them. Thalia was sure she must of made quite an impression with her tear-streaked face, black hair sticking up wildly, blue eyes blazing and her shield of horror out. That was how she met Luke.

They became the fasted of friends, drawn together by their godly parents, and hard experiences in life. Then they met Annabeth, and Luke promised they would be her family. Luke was like a brother to her, but why did she have that sinking feeling, as if she wished they could be more than that? Her life had been lived running away and fighting, no time for silly crushes, she told herself. She was Thalia, brave, strong, rebellious girl. But when the Hunters had come, she couldn't leave Luke.

Thalia told herself that she didn't want to leave Luke because they were just friends. Denied what she had known for ages. She could still recall the very first sunset they had watched on the run.

They had set up a shelter in a small clearing with a tent and sleeping bags Luke had stolen from the camp store nearby. He was a son of Hermes, after all. Thalia had electrified some twigs to start a fire. They sat looking out over the horizon. Luke had asked if she had watched the sun set before.

_**Flashback**_

"Hey, Thals?" Luke had asked.

"What?" She replied. She was going to tell him not to call him Thals, but realized that she actually kind of liked it.

"Have you ever _really _watched the sun set? Like watched it fall down the sky?"

She had scoffed at that, muttering something about only airheads watched sunsets.

He smirked and took that as a no. "Just watch. There's something special about this one tonight."

She had punched him in the arm lightly, calling him an airhead. "What's so special about a sunset?"

He just smiled that annoying I-know-something-you-don't smile. After her endless pestering and name calling, he remained silent.

Thalia resolved to watch the sunset.

The sun descended, turning the sky pink. (Here Thalia inserted a disgusted "Pink. Really?" Luke laughed at that.) An orange hue blazed along the horizon as the sky above darkened. When the sun was completely gone, Thalia turned to Luke.

"What was so special about a sunset?" she demanded.

"This one was special 'cause there was someone to watch it with."

Then Luke had taught her all the constellations he knew, and they had spent the night laughing, joking and renaming stars.

_**End Flashback**_

Thalia watched a similar sunset but realized that there was nothing special about this sunset. _Because I'm not with you, _she thought. She turned back to the Hunters who were laughing and telling stories around a campfire. But she realized that Luke would always be with her, in her heart.

**A/N: Hi! this is my first fanfic, so please R&R. I'm not a huge Thuke supporter, but I thought this was cute. **


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